Edited Memories
by Isisthatcan
Summary: Madison needs to get her mind off waiting for Nick, so she decides to make a film of all the times they’ve spent together. Oneshot.


Edited Memories

Disclaimer: I do not own PR, otherwise there would be a lot more romance and actual couples mixed in with the fights, Lycra and zords.

Summary: Madison needs to get her mind off waiting for Nick, so she decides to make a film of all the times they've spent together. Oneshot.

Author's note: First MF fic and naturally it's a Maddick. I just couldn't get this idea out of my head so here it is, I hope you like it! Thank you PeterBladley19 for noticing my mistake, I have now corrected it as it is not what I had intended for this story… It's just so easy to see them together sigh.

* * *

Madison Russell threw her hands up in the air and let out an exasperated sigh, her gaze fixed on the source of her irritance and problem.

"What?" Xander Bly, manger of Rock Porium, asked, completely non-plussed.

"I've worked overtime every night this week Xander! I'd like some time for myself."

"But Maddie-"

"No Xander."

"Not even if I begged?"

"I said no."

"Begged upon my knees?"

"My answer's not changing. No matter how much you beg."

"But I'm desperate."

"So am I! To get out of this place and have some time to myself. Before I lose my mind."

Xander opened his mouth to argue but shut it, seeing the resolute look upon his friend's face. "Ok, ok," he relented "You don't have to work tonight."

"Thank you." Madison sighed, and turned back to her job of re-ordering the cds into the correct spaces; all the time keeping an eye on the clock. She was mentally counting down the time till she could leave.

Normally Madison loved her job, hearing all the latest music whilst hanging out with your friends and being paid to do it wasn't a bad occupation. But lately her heart just hadn't been in it. She knew why of course. Nick had been an amazing friend and they'd been so close; with even the possibility of something more. She missed him terribly.

In an effort to try and ignore that however, even though such a huge part of her life was missing, she'd been doing extra hours at the Rock Porium. But all this had managed to do was tire her out and make her irritable towards her remaining friends. And make her count down the minutes until the end of each of her shifts, making then seem long and tedious, instead of them being fun and fly-by like usual.

"Hey Maddie?"

"Yes Xander?" Madison replied trying to keep her voice level, but at the same time thinking 'If he makes me work tonight I'm gonna-'

"I've decided that I've been a bit mean to you, making you work all those extra hours so you can go home now if you like."

"What?" Maddie asked, caught completely off-guard.

"You've been cramped up in here for the majority of the last week and you're doing a full day shift tomorrow so I think you should go home now and get some time to yourself," Xander said, a serious look on his face "I can't believe I made you work all those hours, no wonder you're fed up of the place! And I wasn't being a very good friend in not noticing. Or a very good manager, so I'm trying to make it up to you now. Go home."

"You're serious?"

"Absolutely, it's the least I can do really," Xander had a slight smile playing on his face now "Or is that a problem?"

"N-No." Maddie stammered, she was completely thrown now and didn't know what to do. She had planned on working, going home and wallowing in self-pity for a while, having a shower and going to bed. But now she had an extra 2 hours on her hands and that plan wouldn't work with more time added to it.

"Good," Xander said taking her by the shoulders and starting to push her gently towards the door "Then get outta here girl. Go have some time to yourself."

Maddie was still standing in a daze of shock and confusion when she suddenly realised that she was standing on the front step of the shop and was free to go. Xander must've realised she was more affected by work then she'd even realised himself if he was letting her leave early. Sighing, she started to walk home.

What was she going to do now? Her life had literally been consumed by her desire to lose herself in work; all she ever did these days was work. Occasionally she visited Rootcore, to see Clare, but mostly she got updates from Chip whose whereabouts could be easily guessed by the fact that if he wasn't at work he was in the magical dimension. Maddie sighed to herself as she remembered her sister's hints that Chip might not just be going for more magical adventures, but instead to spend time with a now fully-qualified and in-charge of Rootcore (until Udonna got back) sorceress.

But worse of all Rootcore reminded her of Nick. Everything about it was him, the strong magic and overwhelming sense of power and safety. Maddie viewed her friend and what was technically his home in the same light, although she was more emotionally attached to one than the other.

It had taken her awhile but she'd finally come to terms with her feelings for the loner motorcyclist. If only he'd been around for her to tell him. But then she might not have realised how she'd truly felt, it was his absence that made her question whether her feeling were that of very close friends or something more. Something more was definitely how she now knew she felt.

Sighing again, it was all she ever seemed to do these days, she unlocked the door of her house and entered the deserted home. Both her parents would be at work and Vida was out at a Deejay festival for the day. It meant that Maddie was alone, which was how she was liking it of late. Her mom was always trying to cheer her up whilst her sister was always trying to get her to do something about it. Her father was the only one who ever just let her be and that was only because he didn't want to get involved in 'girl stuff'.

Opening the door to her room Maddie walked in and flopped against her bed. Closing her eyes she let out another deep sigh and just laid there, letting her body relax completely. After a few minutes she opened her eyes, a lazy smile on her face. That smile vanished instantly when the first thing she saw was Nick's blanket. She knew it had to mean something that he'd left it with her; the blanket was one of the only things he'd kept with him all his life. But it always made her doubt herself. If he cared so much as to give her one of his most treasured possessions why did he leave? And why had he been gone so long?

Maddie didn't like the fact that he could stir so many emotions in her, or that she was pinning away over him like a dumb schoolgirl. She knew he was worth it, that her feelings for him were real and very strong. But sometimes it just got too much to handle on her own.

Sitting up she reached over and picked the blanket up, off of its place on her bed stand. She carefully unfolded it and wrapped it around her shoulders, breathing in Nick's scent and feeling, even though she knew it was silly, almost as if his strength and warmth was radiating off of it. She wished there was some way for her to remember him other than memories and an innate piece of cloth.

Suddenly Maddie sat upright, an idea forming in her head. There was another way; she had about six hours footage of it spread across several tapes.

Getting up she walked over to her computer and sat down, now suddenly glad that her father had made her install the new video software and upload all her films onto the computer. She could make a video of Nick, using footage from all her different films. All she'd have t do was edit them together. And then when she ever felt like it was too much and she needed to see or hear him she could just watch the video, instead of having to wind threw hours of Xander, Vida and Chip's antics.

Smiling now, she began to type away at her computer, pulling up different sections of footage and splicing them into different parts. It was going to be a bit disjoined even if she put her best work into it, but that was also part of Nick's character. It also wouldn't ruin the video in her eyes.

First there was the footage of him mending his bike, the one where he'd tried t get her to leave by throwing his oil-streaked cloth at her precious camera; he'd only succeeded in strengthening her resolve to get him filmed and slowed his progress on cleaning his bike as he'd lost his cloth. The memory made her grin, it was one of the first times she'd filmed him and he'd tried to get out of it any which way he could. It was also one of the only times he'd tried to do that. After the stone incident he'd been a lot more lenient about her filming him; which meant she had plenty of footage to work with.

Nearly two hours later and Maddie was almost finished. She'd skipped through over eight hours of footage, splicing the parts where Nick was present and adding them to her video board. As part of the new software it allowed her to store parts of film that she wanted to work with; in this case she'd be editing all the sections back together to make a separate video. Now all she had to do was decide what order she wanted the clips in and whether she wanted to add in extras to the video, such as sound, colour and screen effects. If she added any of those she'd definitely have to include red and fire, and maybe some dragons…

Three and a half hours later Vida Rocca walked into her sister's room, ready to kick her up the backside for working another late night and forgetting to eat dinner. She stopped suddenly as she realised her sister was sprawled across her computer keyboard, red blanket wrapped around her, fast asleep.

Vida was now utterly confused as she walked quietly over to her sister, who had obviously not been at work for quite some time. She couldn't have been ill as Xander fully knew the penalty of sending Maddie home sick without her sister's consent. That meant something else must have happened, and she hoped it wasn't anything bad. With worry about her sister foremost in her mind, it also led to curiosity about why Maddie was lying across her computer, the screensaver present indicating it had been off for some time now.

Carefully bending over her sleeping sister, Vida mover the mouse a scant fraction and the screen leapt to life as result of her action. Scanning it quickly Vida could see about five different programmes running, or at least had been, on in particular catching her eye. It was a media setup, a video waiting to play entitled simply 'Nick'. And now Vida's curiosity was completely piqued, knowing about her sister's major crush on their friend and former leader. Had Maddie made a video for him?

She carefully reached over and twisted the sound control, so that only the barest of whispers would be emitted by the machine. Then she moved Maddie's arm ever so gently so she could position the mouse over the play button. Before hitting it though she had a slight hesitation. If Maddie had made this in secret she probably wouldn't want her sister viewing it. However, Vida shook her head and decided to watch it anyway. It might help her understand her sister's feelings towards their red friend. Deciding this was the best course of action she hit play.

Immediately the screen was filled with a fire effect, an image of Nick in his wizard clothes fading into centre screen. The next few images were of him doing magic or practising his fighting. There was even one of him training Fire Heart. Then it skipped to Nick in ordinary clothes, tinkering with his motorcycle and making quips at Maddie behind the camera. Red colour and fire effects danced around the corners of the screen, seamlessly moving the images onto the next one without disjointed flow. At the end of the video was Maddie's voiceover of how Nick was mysterious but special. Then it ended with Nick's face in a rare, bright smile, his green eyes looking almost as if they had a fire in their depths.

Vida leant back up from her crouched position of hovering over the screen and let out a low sigh. That had been one of the best videos ever done by Maddie, and it had been all about Nick. Now, looking done at her little sister, Vida fully understood her feelings for their missing friend.

_So, what d'you think? Please review and let me know!_


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